bees coming into polytunnel to die?

[kathyd]

Hi. Last year we built a polytunnel, and about this time of year hundreds of bees came in over the space of a few days, lived for a while and then just died... It was really sad to watch - and quite scary going into the tunnel on a warm day! I tried to find some advice about what to do, and was told by a beekeeper there was no hope for the bees because they weren't swarming and therefore had no queen.

Bizaarly, it's happening again this year... Not so many bees (yet), maybe a hundred or two hundred, against several hundred last year, but behaving exactly the same. They arrive, potter about for a while and then eventually die. Now losing a queen once is unfortunate, but twice must be sheer carelessness surely?? Or is this normal for some kinds of bees? Do they have a bee graveyard like elephants? Is our polytunnel now passed on through bee culture as the place to go in the winter??

Can anyone clarify for me please? Thx

[VirginVegGrower]

I put sugar water in saucers around my poly and greenhouse. Think I got that advice of here or maybe the Garden Organic website. Lots were reported in Spring. I always tend to usher them out of my buildings before I lock up, but at this time of year they are seeking crevices to over winter in. I am not very up much on the welfare of bees, but there are a couple of bee keeping people on here. Try the sugar water thing and see if it makes a difference maybe.

[hamamelis]

Maybe it's just pensioner bees wanting to retire in a nice warm spot? Look out for them knitting, and making tiny cakes.

[kathyd]

Thx VVG - I'm not sure that sugar and water would help much though - they'll die of cold unless they have a warm log or somewhere to curl up over the winter, and apparently even if they do survive by some fluke, they'll die next year because they have no queen! Seems cruel doesn't it?

Pensioner bees eh? Well I'm looking forward to some nice stripy yellow and black scarves for the winter then!

[VirginVegGrower]

Build a log pile in the corner may-bee!

[alldigging]

I have asked for you on a beekeeping specific forum elsewhere. The thought is that they could be mason bees which look a bit like honey bees.

If you could take some close up photos of the bees t might help id them.

What have you got in the polytunnel at this time of year?

[Two_Sheds]

Only the queens survive the winter, or did I make that up? The males mate and then die, they have no other use

Here's a bit:

" in June or July, males and new queens are produced instead of workers. The males and new queens leave the nest and mate. After mating, the new queens dig themselves into the soil in a cool place and hibernate. The old queen, workers and males die before winter sets in "

http://www.ibra.org.uk/articles/20080609_8

[kathyd]

I have asked for you on a beekeeping specific forum elsewhere. The thought is that they could be mason bees which look a bit like honey bees.

If you could take some close up photos of the bees t might help id them.

What have you got in the polytunnel at this time of year?

Thx AD - I'll try to take a closeup photo, but last year I didn't do too well..

This is only the second winter in the polytunnel, so it's different from last year - last year we'd only just moved over here to live so hadn't planted much. However, did have some nasturtians and marigolds still flowering until late on, some brassicas and a handful of broad beans. This year there are some french marigolds still going strong, plus sweet peppers I'm leaving until the last minute to see if they'll ripen, some salady things, and a few newly planted brassicas. A butternut squash with one fruit on it, a couple of aubergines I've not pulled out yet with fruits the size of a penny, some beetroot, a few french beans .... Other bits and bobs, but nothing obvious I wouldn't have thought.

[kathyd]

Only the queens survive the winter, or did I make that up? The males mate and then die, they have no other use

Here's a bit:

" in June or July, males and new queens are produced instead of workers. The males and new queens leave the nest and mate. After mating, the new queens dig themselves into the soil in a cool place and hibernate. The old queen, workers and males die before winter sets in "

Bumble Bees - International Bee Research Association

H

Hi TS - I don't know if all bees behave the same way or not - when I spoke to the beekeeper last year he seemed to think that if there'd been a queen around, the others would all have swarmed over her to keep the queen warm and alive, and they could all have been taken to a new hive... I think most probably do die, but have a feeling that a few hang around ready to look after the queen for a while in the spring? I can't really remember what the man said to be honest. It just seems weird that so many have come back again to the same place, presumably with no hope of survival. Maybe they just want to spend their last days in relative warmth and comfort? And why not I guess. And I've only been stung once so far!

[kathyd]

Build a log pile in the corner may-bee!

Lol ;p. Actually, I did build a small pile of logs up last year, but they weren't interested. Apparently with no queen to keep them together, they have no reason to live together and thus keep warm...

[hedgehog788]

Hi
your bees are probably drone honey bees, the male ones which are cast out of the hive at this time of year to die
they have served their purpose, mate with queen, then they die
there is nothing you can do to save them
if you look close up, do they have very very large eyes ??
k

[BertieFox]

Polytunnels are not just a death trap for honeybees and bumble bees but for dragon flies, damsel flies, hover flies of all kinds, and butterflies and moths. They blunder into the tunnel and as their direction finding is based on polarised light, not 'seeing' the way out, they fly into the corners and crevices of the tunnel where they get trapped and die.
This causes me as much chagrin as it does you, and I am always fishing out butterflies and dragon flies. Many insects just get caught in the folded sections of plastic around the door where they drown in the collected rainwater.
Polytunnels really should be designed with a 'crawl out' section around the top of doors at the end of the polytunnels or in the 'corner's; it wouldn't be that hard to design. The trouble for us is you can't just cut away at the polythene without endangering the whole life of your tunnel.
The whole business has made me consider whether I shouldn't replace my tunnel with some kind of large structure using polycarbonate panels in which I could build an escape route for insects.

[kathyd]

Hi
your bees are probably drone honey bees, the male ones which are cast out of the hive at this time of year to die
they have served their purpose, mate with queen, then they die
there is nothing you can do to save them
if you look close up, do they have very very large eyes ??
k

They do have large eyes hedgehog yes, but I thought all bees did... I've not been able to take a photo worth posting unfortunately, or you could give me your opinion. I tell you what though, if the queen's mated with all this lot, she's been a very busy girl!!

[kathyd]

Hi BF - yes, the tunnel does seem to capture all sorts of things which I spend hours rescuing... I don't know what you mean by 'polarised light' - can you explain? I have big double doors at both ends of the tunnel, and they're open all the time when the weather's OK, plus the doors don't really fit properly anyway so there are plenty of space around them where things could escape in theory... I agree the folds are a problem, I've got all sorts of bugs and beasties in all the folds, and I'm not even sure how to get them out without tearing the cover. Kind of goes against the grain doesn't it, enticing things into your tunnel to pollinate your plants, and then letting them die. Bit like the poor drones in question - served their purpose, now disposable .

Polytunnels are not just a death trap for honeybees and bumble bees but for dragon flies, damsel flies, hover flies of all kinds, and butterflies and moths. They blunder into the tunnel and as their direction finding is based on polarised light, not 'seeing' the way out, they fly into the corners and crevices of the tunnel where they get trapped and die.
This causes me as much chagrin as it does you, and I am always fishing out butterflies and dragon flies. Many insects just get caught in the folded sections of plastic around the door where they drown in the collected rainwater.
Polytunnels really should be designed with a 'crawl out' section around the top of doors at the end of the polytunnels or in the 'corner's; it wouldn't be that hard to design. The trouble for us is you can't just cut away at the polythene without endangering the whole life of your tunnel.
The whole business has made me consider whether I shouldn't replace my tunnel with some kind of large structure using polycarbonate panels in which I could build an escape route for insects.

[BertieFox]

"I don't know what you mean by 'polarised light' - can you explain?" kathyd


Bees have compound eyes so don't 'see' in the way we do, but follow the direction of the light from the sun. Therefore they will try to find the 'nearest' way out of the tunnel where the light is strongest, and cannot 'see' the doors unless they are lucky enough to blunder into the doorway. It's partly the direction of the sun and the light that enables them to so successfully navigate back the hive, but in polytunnels it is not a lot of use to them.